Residents of award-winning, transit-oriented development say no to transit

See that wide median running down the boulevard? That's where the light rail will go. Or not, as it may turn out.

So much for the widely-touted concept of “transit-ready” development. The residents of an acclaimed new urbanist village built around planned light rail (or bus rapid transit) stops have decided that they don’t actually want the transit their community was designed for. So let’s be more careful about the claims we make for master-planned suburban development, shall we?

God, that paragraph sounds like something straight out of The Onion. But it’s real.

The developer and designers of King Farm, a 440-acre community in the outer suburbs of Washington, DC, certainly tried to get it right. Other than the dubious practice of naming suburbia after the farms that it paves over (there’s also a road called “Rolling Fields Way” running through the heart of the development; I swear I’m not making this up), this attractive development as conceived would have gotten lots of praise from me, had I reviewed it. On what became an infill site after sprawl gobbled up everything around it, not far from the last stop on the Washington Metro system's Red Line, and with mixed uses, a variety of housing types, walkable design, fixed-guideway transit planned through the center, and excellent density for a suburb, King Farm’s concept represented what I promote in this blog and in my work all the time.

It did get lots of praise from others, especially for its transit-oriented design. Bestowing a prestigious Charter Award on the development, the Congress for the New Urbanism called it “one of the most exciting projects” among the candidates. CNU’s web site includes this passage:

“The town is designed around a light rail line linking the town center to the subway station. Similar to Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the light rail will be built along the principal boulevard. The town square, town center neighborhood and the office neighborhood are located along this street and mark the proposed stops on the rail line.”

“As a high-density, walkable, mixed-use community, King Farm in Rockville, Maryland, takes full advantage of the wide variety of current and future transportation choices at or near the site . . . A proposed Corridor Cities Transitway will provide light rail or bus rapid transit from the Metro station, through King Farm, continuing through Gaithersburg, Clarksburg and possibly all the way to Frederick, Maryland.”

As noted at the top of the post, King Farm Boulevard, running through the heart of the community, was designed with an extra-wide median specifically to accommodate transit vehicles. Two stops have long been planned in the development for the Transitway. They are marked in red on the map and satellite image below. (Note that, although alternative alignments for the route have been studied, all options include the two King Farm stations.) On the Google Earth image, the transit route is shown in blue/green, linking up with the Metro line shown in red. Both light rail and BRT are under consideration.

Well, the Transitway is going to be built. The government authorities are in the process of deciding the details. But, after listening to the NIMBY complaints of King Farm residents who are just fine with driving their cars and apparently see transit as blight rather than benefit, the Rockville City Council just voted 4-1 to route the transit corridor around, rather than through, the walkable development of 3200 homes along with commercial space.

Writing on the excellent local blog Greater Greater Washington, Dan Reed reports that a resident founded the “Coalition for the Preservation of King Farm” after realizing that transit vehicles could run in front of her condominium on King Farm Boulevard. She says that she was never told about the transit that the development was built for. Sean Patrick Norris reports in the Rockville Gazette that “the group is worried about the effect construction will have on traffic, parking, pedestrian safety and buildings.” (Does anyone else see an irony in something called the Coalition to Preserve King Farm when 90 percent of the real King Farm no longer exists, because the coalition founder’s condo is sitting on top of it?)

City Councilmember Piotr Gajewski, a King Farm resident who apparently saw no need to recuse himself from the matter before casting a number of votes on it, reportedly said that the Corridor Cities Transitway would bring "no benefits" to the neighborhood while being "incredibly disruptive." In an article written by Cindy Cotte Griffiths, the local news site Rockville Central quotes Gajewski as saying he “unequivocally opposes light rail because it is only possible if it goes down the median of King Farm Boulevard,” the street that was specifically designed from the beginning to accommodate it.

How’s that retrofitting suburbia concept looking now?

See, the thing is, we need the transit to make these big suburban developments work for the larger region's traffic and for the environment. King Farm is not an inner suburb. It’s about 10 miles beyond the Capital Beltway (see image above) and 21.6 miles from NRDC’s downtown DC office, according to Google Maps. There’s a shuttle to the Metro station, another thing the developer did right, but that only helps if you’re going where the Red Line goes, basically only south from the station since it’s the end of the line.

For those who live, work or shop along its route, the Transitway will not only make it easier to reach the Metro (or to reach King Farm from the Metro) at more times during the day but also run along more of an east-west route, linking its customers to additional centers of employment and activity. A majority of King Farm residents and visitors will probably still drive. But that's OK, because even small mode shifts make a difference for the environment and, over time, ridership grows as newcomers who are attracted by the transit move in to the development; that's how it works.

But, if the residents see “no benefit,” what’s the point of designing for transit, exactly? (I know: rhetorical questions are coming fast and furious today.)

To their credit, the residents of another iconic new urbanist development, the nearby Kentlands (photo left) are reportedly enthusiastic about the Transitway and are advocating that it be light rail rather than BRT, according to Reed’s post. Good for them.

But, as to King Farm, I think there’s a lesson here. “Transit-oriented" or "transit-ready” may not mean squat if the transit isn’t fully committed. If the line isn’t built through the development, King Farm will still be a lot better than the sprawl that surrounds it, but it won’t be all that we said it would when we were passing out those awards. And, next time we give out awards, we should be more careful with our praise.

Meanwhile, the final decision will be made by the governor. Expect the NIMBY chorus to get louder.

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment. For more posts, see his blog's home page.

A guest says:

A guest says:

If the line is built there, we will see whether home prices near the CCT stops do better or worse in value change than the prices of other homes in the area. I predict that, over the long run, they will do better. But we're both speculating on that, and you could well be right that there will be a near-term dip, such as during construction..

If it is not built there, we will never know.

How far the Metro is from King Farm for a pedestrian depends on where the starting point is. For those closest, they can easily get there now. Those in the center or west side would probably prefer to ride. According to Google Maps, it's a 23-minute walk from the center (King Farm Blvd & Pleasant Drive) to the Metro, longer than one might think because of the necessity of taking a circuitous route using Redland Drive. There is also the office district of King Farm where the West Gaither CCT stop would be, adding another half-mile or slightly less to the journey. The CCT will definitely make it better for people going there from the Metro or vice versa, as well as make it easier for KF residents on the east side of the development to reach the offices. Over time, I would expect more people working there to be attracted to KF if the line is built where it was planned fom day one. Likewise for other commercial development planned for the west end of the CCT line.

Where we agree is that people (including but not limited to neighbors) should express their views. Thanks for weighing in with yours.

Future home values depend on future energy prices, for houses located next to mass transit. I will not begin to discuss that subject, since I am sure you know a lot more than I do on that topic.

I have a video I took, in Nov 2010, showing me walking to Metro. I started at intersection of Pleasant Drive and King Farm Blvd. It took me a little over 9 minutes to walk. I stopped the timer at the red light (maybe a two minute wait) and tried to walk at a normal pace. My plan was to upload the video, so buyers could see how long it took to walk to metro. This discussion reminds me that I need to upload the video.

You make good points in your last paragraph. There is one key issue is being left out of most discussions and it is the King Farm Shuttle Bus Service. The shuttle bus service makes many stops throughout King Farm. It gives residents access to two pools, office buildings, Metro, other homes and retail establishments.

Right now, residents do not need the CCT, due to the shuttle buses. Residents pay $97.46 a month in HOA dues (condo owners pay dues between $400 and $500 a month). The bus service is included the HOA and condo dues. If the shuttle service did not exist, some residents, possibly many, would want the CCT in King Farm.

I believe the Rockville City Council discussed the possibility of the service ending after the CCT is built. If the shuttle service is ended, what happens to the residents that cannot walk or have a disability? How will they reach the CCT? How will the abled bodied or the disabled reach the pools and parks, which may not be within convenient walking distance? The possible answer is they will drive.

A guest says:

The first part of your comment, that citizens would benefit from details on size, shape, heigtht, horn blowing and such, is fair.

As to the rest, though, experience and research show that, over time, properties near fixed transit stops appreciate in value faster than those that aren't. I will be quite surprised if that is not the case around the stops for the CCT. The market for people who like living near transit may be a somewhat diffierent market than current King Farm residents, but it is a growing part of the regional and national population.

And, as to re-routing the line to avoid the people who can walk to it, you may as well not build it at all, in my opinion. May as well just keep driving, increasing the traffic and pollution that comes with it.

You make good points and it is hard to argue that homes do not appreciate near mass transit. One reason for King Farm's popularity is that it is located next to Metro. I am confident that current condo owners, living on King Farm Blvd, will see their home values decrease. Though, many buyers would find that positive, since it is very expensive to live in King Farm.

My post was about why many residents are against the proposed CCT route. People in King Farm usually do not drive. They take mass transit. They can already walk to Metro or take the community shuttle bus. If the CCT was re-routed, residents will still walk to the CCT, located at Metro. Under the proposed plan, would a King Farm resident pay to take the CCT to Metro, which would be about a four-block train ride? It takes about 9 minutes to walk to Metro, from the middle of King Farm. My guess is that most King Farm residents work below the proposed CCT route. There would be no need for them to use the CCT very often, unless they worked north of King Farm.

The CCT is very important for Montgomery County, MD and the residents of King Farm. The odds are it will go through King Farm, but it is good for residents to express their concerns.

Many people living in King Farm are very progressive. King Farm has over 30 acres of parkland. Solar panels are showing up on roofs and they have community vegetable gardens. The residents I know have a lot of pride in trying to keep the community green.

Thanks for posting the article. It is interesting to read a different perspective from most other CCT articles. I do not live in King Farm, I am a Realtor and I have sold houses in the neighborhood, since 2001.

I can understand why people living outside of King Farm would question the NIMBY attitude of the residents.

Article quote "But, if the residents see “no benefit,” what’s the point of designing for transit, exactly?"

This is a very complicated question for residents of King Farm. What are the fears of people living in King Farm?

Fear of the unknown. I do not believe anyone has seen any plans showing good details of the CCT.

What will it look like? Size, shape and height.

How much noise will be generated? Will there be restrictions on when the train conductor can blow the horn, etc.?

What will the State do about the intersections? Will they remove the traffic light at Pleasant Drive?

Will it divide the community? King Farm is already separated by school districts. Many homeowners have sold their home in King Farm and then bought a home in the "better" King Farm school district. The CCT proposal is a block and a half away from the dividing line. Some are worried about the "other side of the track" thinking.

King Farm Blvd has condominiums facing the CCT. I have had issues selling condos located on King Farm Blvd. The reasons were the traffic noise and the view of retail businesses. The CCT will lower values for condos located on King Farm Blvd. My guess is most residents who bought condos, on King Farm Blvd, were not aware of the CCT. Some will say this is the fault of the buyers and their agents. There is some truth in that thought. Buyers have a 5 day right to review the master plan of Rockville.

The vast majority of buyers never look at master plans. It will be easy to for someone to say, "that's tough, they should have looked at the plans". I wonder how many of those people looked at a master plan when they bought a home, in an urban setting? I am sure some will say, "yes, I did", but the condo owners are real people, struggling in a bad economy, and they will be hurt by the CCT. They stand to lose a lot of money, so I can understand why they would fight against the plan. Also, I do not believe there are any signs on King Farm Blvd, saying the CCT will be built in the middle of the street.

Whatwill happen to the King Farm Shuttle Bus Service? King Farm has a service that will take every resident to Metro or to the retail establishments in King Farm. Will that service end when the CCT is built? If that service stops the vast majority of residents will be hurt by the CCT. King Farm is a large community. I can see some people driving to King Farm Blvd, parking and then walking to Metro. It is possible some residents will benefit from the CCT, if the shuttle service is kept. If someone lives 12 blocks from the CCT, it will not matter to him or her if the CCT is built. It will only matter if they have to walk to Metro or the CCT. Though, I think the agreement to keep the bus service in King Farm ends in 2015. So, that will be a different issue for residents to face, even if the CCT is built outside of the neighborhood.

Why do so many people in King Farm see no benefit to having CCT? The CCT is not being built to serve residents of King Farm. It is to serve residents in other communities, like the Kentlands (mentioned in the article). Of course, they want the CCT. Home values will go up and they will have access to Metro. It is almost impossible to find parking at Metro on weekdays. The Kentlands and Lakelands (located next to each other) communities are great places to live. The only thing they lack is access to Metro.

I am sure I could go on with other reasons why the community does not want the CCT in King Farm. Most are not against the CCT, as a way to serve communities north of Metro. What many want is a study to see if it could be built without going through King Farm. Some want a study to see if it is possible to send the CCT along I-370, which is a highway that feeds Metro, from the north. Others, want the State to look towards the south, near Gude Drive and Montgomery College. If possible, I prefer the I-370 idea.

I am biased. I sell in houses King Farm. I have friends and clients that live in the neighborhood. I look at the issue from a "real estate" point-of-view and that some people I know will be financially hurt by the CCT.

A guest says:

It is a real shame that these residents have turned against what could be such a beneficial project. When I first heard about this, I wondered how these people all ended up here without knowing that the transit project was planned as part of the development. Were they really that ignorant of the planned addition, or did they just decide - whether based on facts or, just as likely, preconceptions of the 'evils' of transit and density - that this was something they didn't want? What about those who did know and were looking forward to the Transitway? Are they now stuck with a living situation that is far less valuable for how they want to live? It makes no sense.